Tame the Phoenix
by Arctic Husky
Summary: [GuyxNatalia] Anyone could perceive Guy as a phoenix, strong and resilient...except when it came to his fear of women. A series of GuyxNatalia oneshots that touch upon Guy's gynophobia, ranging from angst to humour.
1. Waiting: romance

My first Guy/Natalia one-shot. I completed this quite a while ago, but I wanted to wait for an official Tales of the Abyss section before posting it. I've written many Guy/Natalia one-shots since then, so instead of posting them all separately, I will make them separate chapters of a single fic--Tame the Phoenix. The title of each chapter ultimately serves as a theme for that chapter.

_Overall summary_: Guy has never enjoyed his gynophobia, that's for certain; but it becomes even more difficult to endure whenever he finds himself standing face-to-face with Kimlasca's princess. And needless to say, Natalia is not a fan of the phobia either. This is a collection of one-shots that revolve around the difficulty of developing a relationship when one person is terrified of the opposite sex.\

**Spoilers**: Definite spoilers for Akzerieuth, and a very subtle spoiler for the end of the game.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss, and that will (unfortunately) not change as I continue to post fanfics and chapters.

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Tame the Phoenix

_Waiting_

When they told their companions that they were now a couple, everyone reacted in their own ways. Tear had turned red and gave soft-spoken congratulations. Luke had beamed and said that he was thrilled to see two of his oldest friends together. Anise had cursed that one of her potential noble bachelors had been taken. And lastly Jade had told Guy that he was impressed, and then whispered slyly to Natalia, "Good luck."

The Kimlascan princess had initially raised her brow in confusion at Jade's words, but soon dismissed them as irrelevant—simply another example of Jade being his usual vague and inexplicable self. After a matter of months, however, those words returned to her thoughts and began to make perfect sense. _"Good luck getting Guy to overcome his fears,"_ he may as well have said. For after so much time being with Guy, and yet him never actually touching her, Natalia had begun to grow thoroughly frustrated and torn as to what she should do. The very last thing that she wanted to do was to break her relationship with Guy.

Throughout their journey together, Natalia would be lying if she said that she had never considered anyone but Guy as a romantic interest. In fact—Jade aside—Guy probably would have initially been her last choice amongst the males around her. Her eyes had originally been set upon Luke; and then Asch, her true childhood sweetheart, had held her unwavering attention for such a long time. But Luke was a mere replica, who also clearly belonged to Tear, and although Asch had shown Natalia sincere caring and concern, he was never really the boy that she vowed to protect the country with and was not fated to ever have the chance to become that boy again.

And then there was Guy, the one who had been with her all along. He had motioned her past Asch when her priorities went astray. He had lifted her spirits when she was uncertain of whom she really was. And he had protected her, from beginning to end. She had always seen Guy as nothing more than a source of amusement; a future servant of hers once she married Luke—or Asch. She would tease him and approach him only to make him fearful because his phobia of women was far too entertaining to her. She had only seen how dire it could be went she had moved close to him to express her thanks for having made her smile, and he had backed off. _Now_, she thought, _it's the most serious thing on my mind._

She had been visiting Grand Chokmah for a week at that point. Officially, she was strictly there for business with Emperor Peony; to make arrangements between Kimlasca and Malkuth. Unofficially, and yet more importantly, she was there to spend time with Guy. Due to the fact that they lived in cities at opposite ends of the world, the two rarely had the chance to see one another. When Natalia had arrived in Grand Chokmah, she had been so ecstatic to show up at Guy's mansion's doorstep and to meet him with a fervent embrace when he appeared in the doorway. The instant that he opened the door and she approached him, however, he stepped back with a look of terror in his eyes. He had clearly tried to conceal it as best as he could, but that panic had been the clearest thing that Natalia saw.

Seven days later, she stood alone in her guest chamber and gazed out of the window. She didn't see the breathtaking view of the city lit up in the night; she simply saw Guy's eyes, both miserable and afraid—all because of her. _Good luck..._ Jade's voice rang in her ears, truthful and challenging. She needed more than luck; answers would have been nice right about then. Answers to questions like: what should I do? Is a change even possible? Should I stay? Natalia heaved a sigh as she pressed her palm against the spotless window, "Good luck, Natalia," she murmured to herself, "Good luck figuring out what exactly you think you're doing."

She let her hand trail down the clear glass until the ends of her fingers caught onto the frame. With a final painful glance outside, she dropped her hand to her side and then turned towards the room's door. She briskly walked towards it, snatching her traveling bag off of the bed along the way. Before opening the door, she tossed her bag's strap over her shoulder and then stepped out into the hallway. She strode through the corridor until reaching a door that was left ajar, a faint light seeping out and stretching across the floor. Natalia took in a deep breath and let it out heavily, yet softly, to herself. She pushed the door open and stepped into the room, finding Guy sitting over a desk and writing words down swiftly onto a paper. Books were scattered everywhere in the room; all around him, on the floor, on shelves, both opened and closed. He may have used an interest in traveling as an excuse before he admitted his past as Malkuth noble, but it was rather apparent that it was never a lie at all.

"Natalia!" he greeted her with a jovial grin that the princess couldn't help but return, though rather weakly when compared to Guy's smile. He had lifted his head as he uttered her name, but after a second he looked back down at the paper in front of him as he continued to jot things down. Natalia could tell that he wanted to write down all that he had planned before the words left his mind, and that was perfectly acceptable by her account. "I'm writing letters to Luke, Tear, and Anise," he proclaimed while continuing to write, "I was thinking that while you're out here, and while Jade's not doing any outside military work, it would be nice to have little get-together. It's been so long since we've all seen each other at once."

Natalia took a step further into the room and then pushed the door silently closed behind her before leaning her back against it. "That _would_ be nice..." she said with utmost sincerity. It was regretful, to her, that she would be the one to prevent such a reunion from occurring.

Guy looked up to her with a brief, joyous smile once again; but an instant after his eyes settled on his letter once more, he did a double-take and returned his stare to Natalia, where it finally rested. "Natalia?" he spoke with overwhelming disquiet, puzzlement, "Is something wrong...?"

The princess rested her hand on the strap over her shoulder and tried her hardest not to avert her gaze from Guy. He looked so hurt, as though he already knew what she was about to say. "It sounds so lovely, Guy, but my business here was completed after my first day in Grand Chokmah. I really think that I have overstayed my visit already."

"Natalia, of course you haven't—"

"I'm sorry, Guy." She knew that this sudden departure would have made much more sense to Guy had she actually taken a moment to explain herself, but she felt that even her reasoning was pathetic. Since when were women the ones to grow upset by the fact that there was no physical contact in a relationship? Typically, girls were supposed to be patient and more than willing to wait; they were supposed to be thrilled by mental connections and deep conversations. Such was exactly the type of relationship that she and Guy had developed, but Natalia was growing uncertain. Impatience and loss of will were taking her over, and she wanted to touch him. She wasn't asking for much, just a quick embrace, or a reassuring squeeze of her hand—a simple gesture to tell her that he was trying. Her mind had been made up: she had to leave, so perhaps things would be renewed when she laid eyes on Guy again. "I hope to see you again sometime soon."

Natalia swiftly closed her fingers around the doorknob and pulled the door open. Before she had the chance to step through the doorway, her free hand was restrained. She felt an indescribable sensation spread out through her arm, from the focal point where Guy's hand had wrapped around her wrist. "Don't leave," he pleaded. Natalia didn't even dare to move. She wondered if he noticed that he was actually making contact with her, skin against skin; if he hadn't yet realized it, then she did not want to draw his attention towards it. She wanted to savour the feeling, even if it was for a mere few seconds longer.

"I... I don't want to go," she admitted desolately, turning her head just slightly to the right so that she could capture Guy's gaze. He looked so perplexed.

"Has something happened?" he attempted to pry a little further, since he was at a complete loss as to what had suddenly brought on Natalia's change in demeanour. She had been in such high spirits whenever she and Guy were together on that visit; where had this change come from?

Natalia shook her head defiantly. "No, Guy," her words were forced out through a thickened throat, "_Nothing_ has happened, and that's why I don't know what to do." She felt Guy's grip on her wrist loosening, and her arm slipped away from him. Once the contact ended, she allowed herself to look at his empty hand, and then her own bare arm. "Things simply aren't changing, and so instead of improving and being built upon, our relationship is withering into nothingness."

Unable to think of any words of his own, Guy repeated, dumbfounded, "Nothingness...?"

"Yes, nothingness!" Natalia reiterated her point as she stretched her arm out towards Guy, who recoiled on instinct. "You just can't touch me, can you?"

Guy lifted up his hand defensively, yet still kept a distance between himself and Natalia. "It's not as though I don't _want_ to," he objected, "I just—"

"If you wanted to badly enough, then you would do it!" Natalia protested. She had gone from melancholy to outright fury in a short period of time, although that hardly registered within her mind. Seemingly predicting what Guy was to say next, she snapped, "And please, don't tell me that you _can't_! It's not as though you're physically incapable. Your mind is just weak! You can't face your fear!"

Forcing himself out of his daze, Guy shook his head in objection, "No!" He reached out slightly, but quickly pulled his hand back to himself. Natalia simply watched his action expressionlessly, and Guy noticed her indifference. His voice lowered significantly as he continued to speak, "Haven't I proved by now that I can face my fears?" he asked. Natalia simply stood there, her silence urging Guy to go on. "But for you, I don't want to just _face_ my fears. I don't want to be holding you in my arms and thinking about how I feel like I'm about to faint out of fright. I..." if only he could bring himself to embrace her right then, "...I want to get over my fears first, Natalia. I want to reach the point where I'm not afraid, at all. So all that I will think about it how amazing it is to be with you."

Natalia actually felt her face soften as she listened to Guy's words. He had such a naturally smooth temperament, and any woman that he spoke with admired that quality in him, and often wanted it for themselves. The Kimlascan princess was so fortunate to have been the one that he chose to be with. Guy's face suddenly grew flustered as he noticed how Natalia's gaze had rested on him, so he turned around and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he meandered towards his desk again. Natalia watched Guy in silence for a moment before dropping her bag to the floor and walking up to him, slipping her arms about his torso from behind. She felt his body tense up immediately, but that didn't stop her from nestling her face into the crook of his neck rather comfortably. "N—Natalia?" he stammered with uncertainty.

"Please let me stay here for a little bit," she requested, slightly tightening her hold on Guy, "I just need a moment to remember, until the time when you're ready..." Guy nodded very stiffly and waited until Natalia was prepared to break away. She took her time to absorb the feeling of her body against his, of his size and how easily her arms encircled him, of his hair lightly brushing against her cheek. Once she had taken it all in, she pulled away and watched with a smile as Guy practically melted with relief. "Perhaps you should ask Anise to come here one day, and to lock you in a hug for as long as it takes before you're comfortable with it," the princess teased.

Guy turned around to face her, "Somehow I don't think that I'll ever be comfortable with _that_," he returned the joke, which made Natalia's face brighten even more. "Besides, knowing Anise she'd probably charge me money for such a request, just because I'd ask her for it and she wouldn't be torturing me of her own free will." Natalia giggled softly, knowing his remark to be all too true. "But don't worry," Guy stepped forward so that there was very little space between himself and Natalia, "I'll do all that I can so that I can enjoy a moment like that, just as you did right now."

Natalia tilted her head upwards so that she her and Guy's eyes could meet; within them, she saw a serenity that she had never witnessed before. She compared that simple look shared between them with the embrace that she had experienced prior, and decided that a mutual moment was somehow more thrilling than a one-sided one. "I'm certain that when you can enjoy it, I will get even more pleasure from it as well," she took a step back and blew a kiss towards Guy, watching as his face turned red as though her lips had actually touched him, "And for such a reason, I'll manage to wait."

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Thank you for reading! I happen to enjoy this one-shot, but I'd really love to hear from readers. I hope that you continue to read future one-shots if you happened to like this one.


	2. Sneaky: fluff

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/alerted this story! I'm really happy with all of the attention that this fic received; I guess that the Abyss section is quite fresh and popular, isn't it? Ha ha. I don't really have too much to say about this one-shot, aside from the fact that it was also written quite a while back. Its genre somewhere between angsty and fluffy, which isn't quite as large a gap as one would think.

**Spoilers**: Nothing major. Potentially minor spoilers about Guy's past.

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_Sneaky_

Natalia folded her arms in front of her torso, closing her fingers around her sides in some vain attempt to warm herself up. She had just returned to Baticul from tending to some trade arrangements with the people of Engeve, and had been utterly shocked to find heaps of snow tumbling down from the sky and into Baticul upon her return. It was a rarity for snow to make its presence known in Kimlasca's capital city; in fact, it must have been the first time that Natalia could actually recall seeing such a wondrous natural display in her own city, and not in Keterburg. The princess' logic told her that the move from the Outer Lands and into the Qliphoth must have had its consequences on the climate that the population had grown accustomed to; although Natalia did not necessarily consider this to be a negative consequence, for she found the snow to be rather dazzling when it was dusting her own kingdom's ground.

A shiver ran down her spine as she felt another gust of cold air against her underdressed body. A nearby guard happened to notice the princess' conspicuous trembling. He quickly jogged over to her and asked with concern, "Princess Natalia, are you alright? Would you like for me to run ahead and find you a coat for your walk to the castle?"

Natalia shook her head, "No, I'm fine. It's not that far ahead—although thank you nonetheless." Through the guard's helmet, she could see his eyes give her an incredulous look before he retreated. He did not return to his post, however, but hurried into the city. Natalia heaved a sigh, visible air flowing from her lips; he had gone to find her a jacket despite her opposition to the idea. Realizing that she could do nothing to stop him, Natalia simply continued to trudge along the lengthy pathway that led to the heart of Baticul.

She slipped through the streets unnoticed by the public, who were far too preoccupied with the abnormal weather. Children were running about, bundled up in layer upon layer of clothes, gathering piles of snow into their hands and trying to establish what to do with it. It seemed that different kids had gotten different ideas of what to do with the fallen precipitation. A few young girls had decided that it would be fun to pile several spheres of snow atop each other to make a snowman, much like they had seen in certain picture books that their parents had read to them. Some little boys had different ideas, however, and were gathering tiny mountains of snowballs and plotting to toss them at the unsuspecting girls. Natalia gave a smile to each and every person that she passed by, and although little or no people would recognize her for her title when she was on the streets as she was then, they still smiled back. The unexpected weather had brought out high spirits in everyone, it seemed—or at least in everyone outside.

Just as Natalia began to climb the stairs leading to the elevator that would bring her to the castle, a voice addressing her from behind caused her to freeze in place, "Your Majesty! Is it really wise to go into higher altitudes with such thin clothing in this weather?"

Before turning around, Natalia's face broke into an ecstatic grin; however once she turned to face her company, she put on an intentionally snooty frown, "How dare you try and tell me how to take care of myself, Guy?!" Once her eyes caught the figure of her friend, she was surprised to find that he was wrapped up in warm clothing himself, and also had a feminine-looking coat draped over his forearm just as a waiter carries a handkerchief. "Oh, don't tell me..." she sighed, recalling the concerned guard from earlier.

"Can you imagine?" Guy cut in, lifting his arm up slightly to emphasize the coat, "A guard came up to me and asked, 'Do you know what Princess Natalia looks like?', and I told him yes, I did, and so he ordered me to take this coat from him and to bring it to you." His words may have reflected an appalled view, but the way that he said them was so lighthearted. He walked up to Natalia and stopped a few feet away from her, holding the coat out in front of him, "So here I am, Your Majesty, delivering your coat just like my old days as a lowly servant."

Natalia huffed and stared at the coat a moment, responding, "You never had such privileges, Guy! All you were ever permitted to do was to serve Luke."

With an exaggerated sigh of defeat, Guy remarked, "You're right. And yet you would always treat me as your direct underling nonetheless." As he spoke those words, Guy approached Natalia a little closer and draped the coat over her shoulders, at which point she took over and slipped her arms where they belonged and buttoned up the front so that she did not freeze.

When Guy spoke of how Natalia used to treat him, his facial expression changed to what Natalia saw as a mixture of dejection and embarrassment, and she immediately knew of the root of his strange appearance. She knew that she had always 'teased' Guy, and took full advantage of his phobia of women, and treated him as though he were simply another subject in her family's manor. After all that they had been through on their journey to save the people of the world, Natalia felt miserable for everything that she had done to Guy in the past. She had grown increasingly guilty with every new thing that she learned of the swordsman, and with every kind action that he showed—and after all of the time that they spent together, his kind actions grew too numerous to keep count of. When she had approached Guy to embrace him as thanks for consoling her in Inista Marsh, after she had lost all sight of who she was, and Guy had backed away fearfully, she found herself racked with more guilt than ever.

"Would it be alright if I walked you back to the castle, Princess?" Guy inquired suddenly, startling Natalia from her thoughts.

And with those words, her guilt began rising yet again. "Don't refer to me in such a high manner, Guy..." she ordered in a tone so soft that Guy had to take a moment to consider whether or not he had actually heard her correctly. Her next words reassured him, however, "Of anyone's, I'm not worthy of _your_ loyalty."

A nervous laugh escaped Guy's throat as he walked over to face Natalia eye-to-eye, "What's bringing this on, all of a sudden? It doesn't seem like you."

"You..." she closed her eyes and whispered, her voice growing even softer to the point that Guy had to move his face very close to hers to hear her clearly over the joyous shouts of nearby citizens. "...You are such a noble person, Guy, to everyone that you meet. You would never treat anyone the way that I used to treat you."

"Natalia, come on," he urged gently, prompting the princess to open her eyes. When Guy found that he was so close to Natalia that all he could see were her shining green eyes, he staggered backwards with a sudden discomfort. The princess looked down sullenly, but Guy still tried to assure her, "While at Duke Fabre's mansion, I was never in any place to mess around with people." But instead the comment being taken light-heartedly as it was meant to be taken, Natalia's heart grew even heavier, and the weight was so unbearable that she couldn't hold back the tears. "N—Natalia?" Guy moved a little closer to her again, "Hey. Don't get upset," he moved to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, however he couldn't go through with the action. Natalia stared at his hand through blurred vision, and then set her gaze upon the swordsman. "Do you want to start walking a little? It'll clear your head."

She gave a feeble nod and then allowed herself to be guided towards the elevator by Guy without any contact being made between the two of them. By the time that they had reached the castle grounds and began walking towards Natalia's home, Natalia's eyes had dried. She had forgotten what exactly had caused them to well up in the first place, and only remembered the silent reassurance that Guy's presence had given her. That moment where he had moved his hand to comfort her, the concern in his eyes—it all made Natalia realize that he truly held no grudge towards her.

She stared thoughtfully at Guy's back as she lagged a couple of steps behind him, and then subconsciously reached her hand out and lightly brushed it against his arm. The action had initially come out without any thought to Guy's phobia, but once she had done it she found that no reaction had come out of Guy at all. Taken aback by this sudden indifference, Natalia poked a little more forcefully at Guy's arm to come to a conclusion: because of the cold weather, Guy was wearing such a thickly layered jacket that he could not feel her touch. Natalia giggled to herself and poked at him again, this time prompting Guy to turn around because of her subtle laughter. She quickly withdrew her hand before he could notice it. "What are you laughing at...?" he asked her incredulously.

Natalia put on her fake, insulted face again and retorted haughtily with her hands defiantly on her hips, "What are you talking about?! I didn't do a thing!"

At this remark, Guy smiled and then exclaimed, "Now that's the Natalia that I know and love!"

And for some reason, once Guy turned forward again, Natalia's face glowed a faint red; and it was not a result of the cold weather.

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I hope that people enjoyed this one-shot as much as they did the first. Be sure to stick around for the next one, too!


	3. Comfort: hurtcomfort

Again, my thanks to everyone that's keeping up and reading these one-shots that I am posting. This is yet another one-shot that I wrote a while back; it's longer than the past two, and much more on the angst side for the most part. I hope that you all enjoy it.

**Spoilers**: Whoa-la! If you haven't beaten Tales of the Abyss yet, hold up and don't read this chapter because it contains spoilers up to the final battle!

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_Comfort_

"...Let's take a break here," Luke said as he glanced back to find that Natalia was lagging behind the group once again. The past few times, someone had merely shouted, 'Hey! We're going to lose you if you don't hurry!' and Natalia would give a weak smile and hurry back into the group, only to fall behind again a few minutes later. Everyone had been trying their hardest to hold a casual demeanour despite all that had happened, and all that they acknowledged was bound to happen. Luke remained calm on the outside for once, while he internally mourned for Asch's sacrifice. Tear's thoughts were so lost in between Legretta and Van that she did not have the mindset to express her confusion. Anise was clutching Tokunaga tightly against her as she looked forward with a smile despite the fact that her eyes were still red from crying for Sync. Natalia was the only one to remain outwardly forlorn, too full of disbelief to even begin to think about crying. Guy watched all of his friends with deep concern, most notably for Natalia; he too was upset for the losses that had already been suffered, but he was more apprehensive of the depression that plagued the people currently surrounding him. And then there was Jade, who watched all of this while seemingly indifferent.

As the group came to a stop after Luke's suggestion, Jade heaved an exaggerated sigh, "You're too soft, Luke," he warned in a sing-song tone, "There isn't much time to waste resting."

Luke looked over to the Malkuth colonel with his eyes wide, practically brimmed with tears. "I know," he responded, "But we have to right now." Again, Jade sighed, but showed his agreement nonetheless by sitting down on a fallen marble column cracking his back casually. Under normal travelling circumstances he would have likely made a remark about how it was quite convenient for someone his age to get such a break, but there were even times when Jade felt the need to remain quiet. While Natalia almost immediately followed suit with Jade, the others all remained standing rather apprehensively. "Tear," Luke spoke softly the girl nearest to him. She looked over to him with a questioning 'hmm?', and in response he simply motioned for her to follow him as he distanced himself from the group.

When the two passed by Anise, she lightly objected, "Wait!" and then added with uncertainty, "Would it be alright... if I came with you two?" Luke and Tear exchanged a quick glance, both smiling despondently.

"Sure thing, Anise," Luke answered, causing the younger girl to give a genuine smile. The three of them walked off to a separate area, leaving Jade, Guy, and Natalia where they had first stopped.

Instead of interacting with the people that he was left with, Guy remained standing where he was and stared at Natalia in a rather obvious manner. His gaze was not reserved in the least, although Natalia still did not acknowledge it. She was far too distracted by the abundance of questions and lack of answers in her own mind. "You know," Jade spoke suddenly, which made Guy turn to face the older man in surprise. A light blush became known on his face when he realized that Jade's interruption must have meant that he had noticed the destination of Guy's gaze. The necromancer smiled in a way that seemed more devious than heartfelt, "With Asch out of the picture and Luke obviously taken, you're virtually free of competition for Natalia's affection."

The younger man stared at Jade with disbelief, "Jade!" he snapped, "How can you say things like that?! About Asch..."

Jade casually shrugged his shoulders and he looked away, "Oh, how terrible of me. I would've thought that you'd be happier with your rivalry of love gone." Even though Jade was not keeping his voice's volume down in the least, Natalia still neglected to notice that she was the topic of conversation merely a few metres away. Guy gave Jade a quick look of disapproval before turning back towards Natalia. There was no point in disciplining him, Guy thought, for the middle-aged man was already well aware of who he was and was not about to change any time soon. "Do you recall the advice that you gave Luke just a few hours ago?" the colonel suddenly inquired.

The question had come so quickly that Guy needed to take a moment to process it, and then to reflect on what exactly had occurred a few hours ago. So much had happened; Guy had difficulties pinpointing an exact moment of advice. Shaking his head lightly, the swordsman looked at Jade again, "Possibly. But I may need a few more details to refresh my memory."

"Legretta's death," Jade instantly responded, although it was a rather vague answer. Many things had been said around the time when the group had killed Legretta, but advice given to Luke...? Jade sighed as he watched Guy, who had one eyebrow raised and was scratching his chin thoughtfully. "About Tear..." the colonel dragged his words out as we waved his hand slightly, as though encouraging Guy to complete the thought process.

Advice given to Luke about Tear around the time of Legretta's death... "Oh!" Guy exclaimed with realization, "You mean when Luke wanted to know how to comfort Tear?"

At voicing this conclusion, Jade began to applaud dully and monotonously said, "Ding, ding, ding. You're finally getting somewhere." Guy hung his head rather shamefully while Jade continued to prompt. The solider sounded as though he was enjoying the conversation a tad too much, considering its dramatic, underlying nature. "So what was the advice that you gave Luke, Guy?" he asked, making no effort to disguise his teasing tone. As Guy recollected what he had told Luke to do, his face glowed a very discreet red; however Jade picked up on it despite its subtlety. "Oh my, you look embarrassed," the colonel observed aloud, "Don't tell me that you told Luke to do something naughty—"

"You know damn well that I didn't!" Guy cut in before Jade let his imagination run rampant, "I told Luke to just... hold her." With a nod, Jade let out a light 'ah' of understanding, which earned himself a quick glare from Guy. "This is a completely different situation, though, Jade," Guy began to object, "Tear was mourning the loss of a dear friend; Natalia is mourning the loss of a love interest. The last thing that she would want is another man trying to gain her favour."

Jade raised a brow at Guy, "Oh. Was _that_ your intention?"

"N—No!" he stammered, "But she may believe that if I just confront her so straightforwardly. And..." Guy tore his stare away from Jade and directed it towards the ground, "Even if I wanted to do something like that, there's no way that I could bring myself to do it."

With a sigh and groan, Jade pushed himself up off of the column that he was sitting on, "Right, right. The gynophobia." As an indication of the conversation's ending, Jade simply strode past Guy and began walking in the direction that Luke, Tear, and Anise had gone earlier; all the while, he mumbled to himself, "Honestly, each time that I decide to be genuinely helpful, my advice gets ignored. This is why I so much prefer to be the menace, and not the assistance. I need to go and bother Anise now..."

Once the older man was out of sight, Guy turned his attention to the grieving princess once more. She had previously been sitting very poised and alert-looking, staring through the world ahead of her; when Guy looked her again, her composure had broken as she rested her elbows on her legs and sank her face into her opens hands. Guy could not hear any sounds coming from her: no muffled sobs, muttered uncertainties, or suppressed tears. She seemed like a doll, appearing melancholy and yet void of all expressions of emotion. The sight in itself was enough to make Guy reconsider his refusal of Jade's suggestion. Never before had he actually seen someone who seemed to be saying, 'I need a hug,' without speaking any words.

With that being the only thought in his mind, Guy walked up to Natalia cautiously. The girl did not even raise her head at the sound of Guy's approaching footsteps against the stone flooring; either not acknowledging him, or simply not hearing him at all. When he was but a few feet away from Natalia, Guy outstretched his arm towards her, but he stopped himself before actually making contact with her. His hand was trembling, and the quivering was quickly spreading through his arm and to the rest of his body. Guy stared at his own hand for a moment in resentment before clenching his fist, "Dammit!"

The loud volume of Guy's uttered curse snapped Natalia out of her trance. She looked up at him with surprised, wide eyes, still resting her elbows on her legs. "Guy...?"

The swordsman looked down at her, having the overwhelming urge to suddenly blurt out what exactly had just happened: he had wanted to comfort her—to hold her—so badly, and yet his body rejected the idea when he was so close, and now he was completely frustrated with himself. He bit his lower lip for a moment, and then responded to Natalia's continuously prying gaze, "Yeah. I'm here for you; okay, Natalia?"

Upon hearing this comment, the princess glanced around the group's resting area. It was only then that she realized that all of the others had wandered off, leaving her and Guy completely alone. "Where did everyone else go?" she asked, her voice sounded like a rather hoarse whisper. Guy assumed that her throat must have been thick from keeping from crying; she had taken Jade's slap and warning to stop holding the others back very seriously, and refused to let her friends down.

"I don't have a clue," Guy answered, "But they all just walked off a little while ago."

"My," Natalia gasped, speaking in her typical, regal tone of voice, "I must have been quite out-of-it to have not noticed." Although she was clearly attempting to keep a strong interior, there was an air of sadness around her that could not be ignored. Guy merely let out a short, awkward laugh to both agree with her statement, and to express concern for her present demeanour. He walked around the front of the fallen column and sat down next to Natalia without uttering any words. His silence seemed to prompt Natalia to speak; somehow his presence in itself seemed to pull the words from Natalia's lips without her even taking a moment to consider them. "It's completely surreal," she practically breathed the words out in a sigh, looking down at her lap, "I still can't believe that he... that Asch... is dead. We don't even really know, do we? We never saw his body, we never heard any cries of pain, and yet..."

"...We just know," Guy completed the sentence. The princess snapped her head up and glanced towards Guy. He was staring dead ahead, as void as Natalia had been earlier. "You felt it too, right?" he asked before elaborating a little more, "About the time when Luke began to slow down as we walked down that hallway, it felt like a given that Asch had left us. Even before we noticed Luke lagging behind us, even before he said a word..." The swordsman turned head to lock eyes with Natalia. She fixed her eyes on him for a drawn out moment before giving a weak nod and focussing her attention downwards again. Silence remained dominant for a fair amount of time before Guy voiced his musings aloud, "We were the only ones who knew Asch before all of this happened."

After remaining wordless for a few seconds, Natalia responded with a forced laugh, "No wonder we are the ones staying back, moping around, while the others are undoubtedly working to move forward."

Guy blinked several times before leaning slightly forward and looking over to Natalia. "Do you really think that that's why I'm still here?" he asked her, the tone of his voice becoming even more melancholy than it had been when he had reminisced about Asch. The princess stared at Guy in awe, unable to find any words to say to him. "I am so concerned for you, Natalia..."

"Guy," she uttered, his name coming out in nothing more than a squeak. With that simple word, tears formed at the corners of her eyes and steadily seeped out, trickling down her cheek. As soon as she noticed that Guy had certainly seen her crying, Natalia hurriedly buried her face into her hands and sobbed out, "You're too considerate!" Words rushed through Guy's mind as he watched Natalia hunched over and heard her bawling; however none of the words that he thought of seemed right in that moment. Nothing that he could think to say would transform her sobbing into mere sniffling, nor would any words make her set Asch's death aside, nor would they make Guy himself care any less for Natalia. So instead of just thinking of things to say, and even instead of speaking his thoughts, Guy slowly enveloped his arms around the princess such that her face was cushioned against his chest. "G—Guy?" she stammered with sheer disbelief. She lifted her head just slightly to find herself facing the undeniable design of Guy's vest.

"Y—yeah," the swordsman stuttered as he began to shiver involuntarily, "I just... I wanted..."

"It's alright," Natalia cut in, tentatively slipping her arms around Guy's torso while she continued, "You don't have to explain. I... Thank you." The more that he heard Natalia's voice, the more that Guy's body trembled, but he continued to hold the position that they were in without protest. "Are you okay?" she asked softly after a fair silence.

A sense of dejectedness washed over Guy when he considered that after trying to reassure the princess, she had begun doing the same thing for him; and he felt that he was not the one who needed encouragement at that time. "Of course," he answered, and his shaking eased, just barely. Natalia pulled away from Guy slightly so that she could stare him in the eye, but once she did so, his quivering began just as terribly as it had been when it began. Instead of expressing disappointment as would have been expected at this observation, Natalia's face beamed as she let out a faintly devious laugh. "Natalia...?"

The archer slid her hands off of Guy's back and moved them to his sides. "Coochie coochie coochie!" she exclaimed with a grin as her fingers proceeded to tickle the man in front of her.

"G—Gyah!" he yelped as he stumbled backwards in surprise: there was no way that he would have predicted such an action coming at that time. Without taking a second to just stand and laugh at him, Natalia leapt down and continued to tickle Guy relentlessly. The male noble quickly jumped to his feet and ran around the area while being pursued by Natalia; it was at this point when the other members of their group walked up to find such a scene playing out before them. Despite whether or not Guy and Natalia noticed the new presences, they continued to run, and chase, and tickle as though they were still alone.

After looking on in silence for a decent amount of time, Anise clasped her hands together with elation, "Ooh, are we tickling Guy? You'd better count me in!" With that said, she dashed up and knocked Guy off of his feet, leaving him vulnerable to the tickle-attacks of both Natalia and Anise.

Guy consistently attempted to scramble away and call for help until a potential source of help finally stepped up and towered above the three 'battling' friends. Guy's eyes were hopeful as Luke observed the scene that had frozen before him—however it only took a few seconds before Luke crouched down and proclaimed with a grin, "Coochie coochie coochie!"

"No, no! Not you too!"

Within several moments, Jade and Tear had joined in the playful torture, leaving Guy no option but to accept it until they had all worn themselves out. When that time came, the demeanour of the group instantly returned to the sombre state that it had been in when they had initially decided to stop for a rest. They all marched forward like prisoners who believed that they were about to receive a death sentence; and that was indeed a fear in all of their minds, for they did not know what awaited them in the furthermost regions of Eldrant.

While the others all moved ahead in silence, Natalia fell back once again. Instead of prompting her to move forward with warnings as they had before, the group remained silent with the exception of Guy. He slowed down such that he was matching the slow pace of the princess before inquiring, "What's the matter, Natalia?"

And instead of admitting deep grief for Asch as Guy had been expecting, Natalia gave him a small smile and replied, "I wanted to thank you, without the others hearing. Thank you... so much."

* * *

I'm quite fond of this one-shot, I must admit. I'd love to hear what you readers thought of it, as well. It may be a little longer before I get the next one-shot up as—unlike these past three stories—it is not complete yet.


	4. Childhood: drama

I can't believe how long I've gone without posting a story in this little collection... Sorry for the delay, everyone! (I think that the worst part is that this particular one-shot has been about ninety percent done for... ages.)

So here's a little dramatic slice of childhood that will hopefully make all of your waiting worthwhile. Thanks to those who have been giving reviews more recently; they always reminded me that I had to update this fic!

**Spoilers**: If you don't know about a certain someone's memory loss, or moreso if you don't know who Guy wants revenge on.

_

* * *

_

_Childhood_

Guy strolled through the manor's hallways, turning his head from one side to the other every couple of paces as though searching for something—in reality, he was searching for some_one_. He had been summoned to the castle earlier that day and was directly ordered by a very distraught king of Kimlasca to investigate every single corner of the duke's manor for his daughter, who had gone missing in the morning. Apparently the princess had run off when she overheard that the duke's son, Luke, had been kidnapped nearly a week prior—news that had been deliberately hidden from the eleven-year-old girl up to that point. As soon as she heard, she had reacted in exactly the way that the king had feared: she broke down crying and fled the castle in a completely irrational state of mind. It puzzled Guy how even at such a young age the girl acted as though she were sincerely in love with Luke.

At the age of fourteen, Guy was youngest attendant in Duke Fabre's manor, which was why he was granted the responsibility of finding Princess Natalia and returning her to the castle. He was not remotely thrilled about the duty upon him; girls in general made him shudder, and all of the adults at the manor constantly teased him about it because he was supposedly "past the age of being disgusted by girls". Although he never said it aloud, he wasn't 'disgusted' by females at all. It was quite the opposite, which made it all the more frustrating that he couldn't bring himself to make contact with them.

"Nataaaaliaaa!" the young servant's monotonous voice echoed through the desolate corridors. It was obvious that she would run away if she heard him, but it was no concern of his. Had he gone the entire day without any sign of the princess, he would have no regrets reporting it to the king. He hated the royalty of Kimlasca without exception. Luke's kidnapping delighted Guy to no end. He had wanted to be the one to rid the world of Luke and bring suffering to the duke himself, but so long as he was able to bear witness to the duke grieving his son's loss, Guy would be satisfied. As he proceeded through another door, he quickly peered left and right into the hallway that was presented before him. "Natalia!" he lazily called out once again, waited several seconds, and then shrugged before beginning to slip back through the door that he had entered from.

As he stepped back, however, a shrill gasp floated into his ears, followed by nervous sobbing. It took no thought whatsoever to deduce that the gasp and the crying had come from a very distressed, young princess. With a slightly annoyed sigh, Guy walked back into the corridor. "Your Highness," he said with a subtle tone of spite, "Your father is extremely concerned for you. You need to return to the castle."

"Go away!!" a voice shrieked back. Having foreseen such a reaction from the princess, Guy casually approached the obvious source of the shout, where he found Natalia curled up and hidden behind one of the many statues that lined the duke's halls. When Guy caught sight of her, he crouched down and rested his elbows on his upper legs while he stared pryingly at the younger girl. "I said... go away," she repeated much weaker than before.

Guy remained staring at her without being deterred in the least. "Come on, Princess," he urged, impatient before the battle had even begun, "You know that you'll have to go back eventually."

"Go away or I'll _touch you_!!"

The threat should have sounded so ridiculous to whoever was being terrorized by it. It should have sent the victim into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It should have been a hilarious story to whoever was to hear it in the future. Instead of it being what it should have been, it caused Guy to break out in a cold sweat and stagger backwards to escape the very serious princess. Natalia stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. She let out a light huff as she glared at Guy in a way that both pitied him and despised him.

Yet even as Guy sat before the princess, shaking involuntarily and looking up at her, he did not budge from the duty appointed to him. "Y—You need to return to the castle, Natalia."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "_Princess_," she hissed out, correcting her underling, "Or 'Your Highness'. I don't care which one, as long as you don't act like we're friends."

Guy's temper was short enough when it came to Kimlascan royalty; however the princess' insufferable attitude had snapped his final string of patience. He had never seen her act quite as obnoxiously as she was at that moment. Under normal circumstances, she showed respect to everyone around her—even if it did feel like a façade most of the time. But on that day, she was simply acting like a... "Little bitch," Guy muttered through his teeth, earning an appalled gasp from the more innocent of the two. Wasting no more time playing mind games with the princess, Guy leapt up to his feet and seized her by the kerchief that she always had secured around her neck. Natalia let out a high-pitched scream that was certainly heard in each of that hallway's adjoining rooms. "Shut up!" the boy ordered, still gripping onto her kerchief so as to not actually make contact with her.

"Gailardia!"

With a surprised gasp, Guy released Natalia. She instantly ran towards the man who had halted the frustrated youth, and he welcomed her by closing his arms around her in a comforting way. She had never even been introduced to the man, had only seen him from afar; nonetheless, as a helpless child she could do nothing but rely on him for protection. From where Guy stood, he could hear her sobbing once more. "Pere..." Guy sighed the name out, running his fingers through his hair, both to calm down and to consider what he had just been thinking, "I'm sorry."

The old man shook his head in distaste, "Gailardia, if you ever have any hopes of achieving what you desire most of all..."

"I know," Guy snapped, although in a rather modest tone, as though he respected the man that he was addressing. Natalia lifted her head with reservation and cautiously peered over at the blonde-haired teenager down the corridor. She didn't know what he and the other man were talking about, but she could not bring herself to simply cast it aside—the exchange of words always remained embedded in her mind, although she never uttered them to anyone else.

Pere looked down at Natalia gravely for an instant, but once he caught her eyes staring up at him, he smiled kindheartedly and rested a hand on her head reassuringly. "Now what do you say to going back to the castle now, hmm?" he asked her as he removed his hand from her head.

Natalia sniffled and nodded before pulling slightly away from Pere. The two of them walked towards the door that led to the main hall together. Just before Natalia stepped through, she glanced back towards Luke's mysterious servant, who was pacing across the hallway while massaging his forehead, disgruntled.

She couldn't understand him at all.

* * *

A month passed by, and no one outside of the three who had witnessed it gained knowledge of the incident that occurred the day that Natalia fled the castle. It was then that word came afloat that Luke had been found and brought home. The princess had gotten senselessly excited when her father told her, and had insisted on going to see him right away. The king had simply shaken his head gravely and responded firmly, "Not yet." As tempted as she was to defy him, Natalia obeyed and waited until she was granted consent to visit the manor. 

Her permission to visit Luke came much sooner than she had expected, and yet the two weeks had felt endless to the young princess. The instant that the words, "My sister has finally said that it would be alright for you to see Luke—" escaped King Ingobert's mouth, Natalia dashed off towards the Fabre manor without any accompaniment. She slipped through the corridors undeterred while receiving wary glances from the guards until she stood at the door leading into Luke's room. Without any second thoughts, Natalia walked into the bedroom and found herself facing a scene that she never would have expected to see.

Luke was standing in the centre of his room, rather wobbly on his own legs, while Guy looked on from his seat on the bed. "You've got it, Luke," he urged on rather sadly, "Don't be scared, just step forward." The younger boy whimpered slightly as he moved one foot ahead of the other, only to stumble at the movement and fall backwards. Guy swiftly rose from the bed and caught Luke in his arms, where he let the young boy rest for a moment as he let out some tears of frustration. "Hey, hey," Guy assured, "Just keep trying. You'll get it soon."

A slight shiver ran down Natalia's spine as she watched the event unfold before her. No one had mentioned to her why she was not allowed to see Luke before then, but upon laying eyes on him, she understood: something was very wrong. "Luke," she squeaked nervously while taking a reserved step further into the room.

Both boys glanced up at her simultaneously, although Guy lowered his head to focus on Luke again rather quickly while Luke continued to stare at this new person with mystification. "Oh, Princess," Guy said after already shifting his attention away from her, "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see Luke," she answered without taking her eyes off the younger of the two, who gazed just as persistently at her, "but..."

"Who?" Luke suddenly looked back up at Guy as he pointed towards Natalia. When the word slipped out of his mouth, the princess felt a fleeting tightening in her chest as she uttered a small gasp. A myriad of thoughts overcame her at once: he didn't remember her. He didn't remember their friendship, their promise, their times together...

Guy chuckled lightly as he released Luke and forced the boy to stand on his own again while struggling. "That's Natalia," the servant responded, "Remember your uncle who came to visit?" After scrunching his nose for a moment in thought, Luke nodded. "That's his daughter." Luke gave a little 'oh' before taking to staring at Natalia again. The princess shifted uncomfortably under his unwavering watch; she didn't feel as though it were a familiar person looking at her, but a stranger. "Luke, don't stare," Guy scolded, and the young noble understood instantly and focused his attention towards his own feet.

Natalia remained standing in the spot that she seemed to have claimed as her own; she wasn't sure what else to do with herself. She felt as though she were suddenly thrown into a room with two strangers, neither of whom was paying particular attention to her. She also wasn't certain that she desired their attention—they frightened her. Luke, so different, and Guy, after how he had threatened her... But the strangest thing was that Guy seemed to have changed, as well. Whenever she had been to the manor prior to Luke's kidnapping, Guy would always push aside Luke's attempts at getting Guy's praise by blatantly ignoring him or harshly telling him to go away. All of a sudden, he was dedicating himself to Luke. As young as she was, Natalia could plainly see the change.

It took a few minutes for Guy to recognize that Natalia was feeling extremely awkward, but the moment that he did, he softly told Luke to continue practicing while he did something. The redheaded noble nodded in understanding. Guy gave him a quick smile before turning away and heading towards the door. As he walked past Natalia, he motioned for her to follow him, and she obliged and joined him outside. Guy shut the door behind them and sighed, "I'm assuming that you've figured it out for yourself, but... Luke has no memories whatsoever."

"None?" It was exactly what she had been dreading. Guy shook his head. She could not grasp how such a thing could happen. Father had told her that they did not know where Luke had been the entire time, but not that he had lost his past. _'How?'_ she wondered, _'How...?'_ Pressing her eyelids tightly together in a prolonged blink, Natalia uttered her thoughts, "...How?"

Apathetically leaning against the doorframe, the servant simply shrugged. Unsatisfied with such an answer—or lack of one—Natalia continued her prying with a stare. For a few moments Guy failed to notice her eyes watching him for answers, although his attention was eventually drawn back to her; the look yearning for explanations startled him when he first saw it, but he concealed his anxiety with a composed elaboration, "Everything is pretty uncertain right now. We don't even know whether this is permanent, or if there's a chance that he'll remember. I'm, uh..." his mouth curved downwards, seeming disappointed the words that it was speaking, "I'm trying my best, maybe to jog some memory or something. That's all that can be done right now."

Natalia discreetly ran a finger over an eyelid as though fending off sleep instead of tears. If Luke could not remember things on his own, then she wanted to help him, but... if Guy was already doing so...

"Princess."

She physically started from her inward reflections and looked to Guy again. His hand rested on the knob of Luke's bedroom door, although he dithered there as though wanting to address something else before going back in. Still finding it a challenge to find any words to say, especially to Guy, especially about Luke's situation, Natalia nodded to assure that he had her attention.

"Would you join me in helping Luke?"

* * *

Not much to say as an ending note. I have no idea when I'll get another one-shot up... I need to play through Tales of the Abyss again to find my inspiration. I hope that this one-shot was enjoyed. 


	5. History: angst

So everyone who enjoys these Guy/Natalia one-shots needs to thank the Tales of the Abyss anime for inspiring me, both to write and to playthrough the video game again. Part of me wishes that I was here to offer you a totally sweet and fluffy fic, but, well, the other part of me was thinking that these stories have been a little too optimistic in the end, hehehe. No really, just enjoy!

**Spoilers**: I'm inclined to say spoilers to end-game, just to be safe.

* * *

_History_

I used to laugh at Guy so cruelly. _How pathetic_, I'd think. _Grow up and get over it_.

I still laughed at him years later, but the cruelty was gone. I laughed when his hands shook so much that they tickled me the first time he hugged me. I laughed when he kept his lips an inch from mine for about ten minutes to prepare himself before our first kiss. I laughed when he said, "I love you," without as much as a stammer (and then I told him that I loved him, too).

I didn't laugh when I ruined our holiday together in Chesedonia. That night when Guy closed our inn room's door behind us, when we embraced and felt each other's hearts throbbing. It seemed like there wasn't even the slightest break between beats. I wondered whose heart was beating faster, and I wondered why; was it Guy's regular anxiety, always there even when he tried to hide it? I knew that mine pulsed with the uncertainty of what was to come...

Even though the sun had set, the air was thick enough to keep the city unpleasantly hot. I tried not to mind, though. I preferred uncomfortable heat to freezing cold, anyway; besides, Guy and I had chosen to stay in Chesedonia with the thought that, in case the public presence of the Kimlascan princess and a Malkuth noble stirred anything up, we would be welcome to stay in Astor's private mansion instead of the inn. It was Guy who thought so logically about our trip, of course. As far as I was concerned it was a romantic getaway and that wasn't something to be logical about, but... I had to admit that it was an intelligent choice. And I knew that had I asked Guy to go somewhere else, he would have agreed without argument, and that fact in itself was enough to make things more romantic in my mind.

But it was steaming in that room. The type of humid night that was best spent under silk sheets while wearing the thinnest nightgown available. My nose wrinkled when I looked at the thick comforter that covered our bed; where did they think this inn was situated? Keterburg? I wouldn't have been surprised if their sheets were made of flannel. The thought in itself made my forehead moist. It wouldn't do at all. I marched across the room and pried the blanket off, dropping it into a bundle on the floor.

"Why are you doing that?" Guy asked me.

I answered, "It's so stuffy. The thought of being under such heavy covers..." I shook my head, shooing the thought away. He laughed lightly at me, at my royal pompousness that appeared from time to time. His laugh was like mine when I felt him shake or dither longer than he should.

I lay down on the bed, on top of the sheets. I was pleased to feel that they were thin, fresh like a pillow when flipped over in the middle of the night. Guy didn't lie down with me right away. I closed my eyes and let him linger a while, listening to the thump of his footsteps and rustle and clatter of his movements. Soon enough, I felt the mattress sink next to me. I opened my eyes and found Guy sitting on his side of the bed. The sounds that I'd heard, I realized, had been Guy removing his sheath, gloves, belt, vest, shirt, and boots, and leaving them in a heap on the floor much like how I'd left the bedcover. He wasn't looking at me; he was taking in deep breaths and letting them out steadily.

I watched him as he twisted his head to look at me, a smile meant to assure me on his face. I smiled back at him, a little chuckle in my throat. "I love you," I said. And though I meant it, Guy knew that the ultimate meaning behind my words was, "Kiss me."

Any outsider looking in would have thought it strange, I'm sure. I probably looked like a moth caught in a spider web, lying there motionless as Guy leaned over me slowly, torturously. It was natural to me, though. He wasn't a spider preying on me; he was more of a nervous dog that had been abused by one woman and needed to regain his trust of the whole gender. I waited patiently as I always did, waited for him to hold me and to kiss me before I held and kissed him back.

When he pulled away, there was an odd look in his eyes. There was alarm in them, as there often was, but it was mixed with something else. I couldn't figure out what that something else was before his eyes went out of sight, his lips touching on my throat. _Longing?_ I wondered. _Curiosity? Resolve?_ I felt his hand shake, and felt the film of sweat on his palm.

That was when our heartbeats sped. I heard the pulses more than felt them; they resounded in my ears as though it was my head throbbing, not our hearts. The sky outside of the room's window was orange, splashed with salmon and ashen clouds. A sunset, I thought, and then I remembered...

There had been a beautiful sunset, a soothing memory amidst crises. A memory of the two of us in this seemingly unromantic town. Guy and I had stood on the Chesedonia beach and talked, one on one. I could only remember seeing the sunset, not Guy. There was the sound of his voice, though, reassuring me in the background.

Completely uninvited in the memory of the two of us came the reminder that we had been discussing Asch. I had been waiting for Asch during that sunset long ago. I was suddenly thinking of Asch even as Guy kissed me.

My heartbeat became one of panic. I think I held my breath as I pushed against Guy's chest, although my alarm might have slipped out in gasps for all I knew. It only took the gentlest touch to make Guy recoil, retreat to the foot of the bed. I halted completely, my hands still held out as though to push away anyone who approached. My voice was as frozen as my body; I knew that I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what words I was looking for. Guy found them for me between sharp breaths: "Are you okay?"

I didn't answer right away. Selfishly enough, I still didn't realize that those were the words that I should have been saying to Guy. It was distress for myself that kept me from saying anything... until I finally really looked at Guy's face, and saw how he asked about my well-being even as he suffered. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine," I said as I repositioned myself so that I sat on my knees. "Are _you_ okay?" I returned the question, reaching a hand out to him. He leaned away from it. In spite of how his lips were kept tightly shut, I could see how his jaw was clenched to silence a yelp. "I am so sorry, Guy. I don't know what came over me." My head lowered sullenly. Even as I felt a weight lift from the mattress, and then heard a rustle and clatter, and then thump of footsteps, I did not glance up. The door groaned as it was opened.

"Don't w-worry about it. I'm going to t-take a walk to calm down."

When the door thudded shut, I looked up. _I'm sorry,_ I reasoned in my head, _but when I think of us, sometimes other thoughts overlap..._ I fell back onto the bed's pillows, my legs falling limply onto the bed like a boneless doll's. An explanation like that would simply make Guy more miserable. "Competing with the dead," he often said, laughing. Forcing himself to laugh. I knew it hurt him so much more than he let me see.

I turned onto my side, pulling my legs up closer to my chest; the nylons over them made a whistling sound as they dragged over the sheets. I embraced the pillow and dropped my forehead onto it, covering my vision in darkness so that I no longer knew whether my eyes were opened or closed. My mind kept repeating, _Please let this work out,_ even as my conscious thoughts shifted into the words of dreams.

Guy was sleeping in the room's second bed when I woke up. It was the first thing that I noticed. Then I noticed how the brick walls, the tapestries, the bed sheets—everything—were tinted a golden orange. I glared at the sunrise through the window, and yet I still felt drawn to go outside and watch it.

A breeze coming in through the open window tousled my hair as I got up. The air was fresh, not humid and stifling as it had been the night before. It made me feel like I could let out a composed sigh, as though things were all right.

I realized that I'd worn my day clothes through the night, so I simply put on a light overcoat and brushed my hair before stepping out of the room. In retrospect, I think I stopped every few steps as I made my way to the inn's lobby and outside, expecting to hear a door open and close behind me or footsteps following. The inn was as eerily silent as Baticul's abandoned factory. It didn't change much outside, either; the shops were not yet opened and everyone was still sleeping.

The grainy swash of my feet against the sand briefly switched to clacks against the small stone staircase leading to the beach. It wasn't the side of the beach that I had remembered the night before. Instead, it was the opposite side where I could watch the sun rise. Sunrises were so much angrier than sunsets, I thought as I watched the sky that morning. The deep oranges and reds bleeding over emptiness, the sun making me flinch from its intensity. I wondered if Guy was angry, even though I knew that it would take so much more for him to show any distress to me. He had tried so hard, though, and I knew that he should have been cross with me. I had repaid his anxious attempt at taking another step past his phobia with a shove back toward trauma.

"I know that sunsets belong to Asch."

I turned around hurriedly, almost tripping over my own feet in a lapse of grace. Just like the night before, I knew that there were words that I should have said, that I _wanted_ to say, but that I simply could not think of. He was watching me—more my eyes than my lips that still struggled with unspoken words—with a look of uncertainty, like he was looking for forgiveness as though he had misbehaved.

He had stayed out so late struggling over that conclusion, I realized. He had wandered through the streets as I did that morning, watching the sunset and thinking of the past: of my frantic reaction, of the times so long ago, of my old attachment to Asch... the same past that I had thought of.

I wanted to tell him that it wasn't true, that sunsets didn't belong to Asch. That nothing belonged to Asch, everything belonged to him. I would have been lying.

"What if sunrises belonged to me?" he asked, perhaps only seconds after his comment about Asch, though it felt like so much longer.

My front teeth ran over my bottom lip as I turned my whole body away. Suddenly the sunrise that seemed so sinister before didn't look so different from a sunset. _No_, I thought, very carefully keeping from shaking my head or showing Guy any disagreement, _they don't look different enough to me_.

Guy's arms circled around me, so gradually that the action couldn't be masked as a prolonged romantic gesture. A new day, a day gone by; sunrise, sunset; it was still all Asch.

"Maybe something else," I said. I felt Guy's head nod weakly, and perhaps heard him whisper an equally weak, 'Okay,' although I've never been certain whether that was my imagination or not. His hold tightened, though, like he expected me to flee if he let go. Silly, when I didn't even have the will to think anything beyond, _I'm sorry_.

* * *

The next one-shot will be more upbeat, I promise! Ha ha. But having written this, I have to say that I like it. It's a different style of writing from the other one-shots, probably having something to do with the various genres of literature that I've been reading for school. Let me know what you thought about it. I have intentions of writing another one-shot quicker than I wrote this one!


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